18. Jax
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
JAX
Iscramble around my condo, trying to make sure it’s in pristine condition for when Kiley and Zander arrive.
Today is technically her first day on the job, and even though it’s a home game and she’s not spending the night, I still want the place to look good.
I want her to enjoy being here and maybe get some relaxation, even though she’s here for a job.
It might be a silly thought considering coming here means not being amongst her own things or sleeping in her own bed.
“Dad, what are you doing?” Chloe asks when she walks out of her bedroom.
“I’m cleaning up after Grandma and Grandpa.”
“But they left hours ago, and they cleaned before they left.”
I stop what I’m doing and glance at her.
She’s looking at me as if I’m strange and delusional.
Honestly, I feel strange and delusional.
I shouldn’t care so much about Kiley liking it here.
It’s a job for her. I shouldn’t want her to enjoy it here so much that maybe one day she would never want to leave.
No, that’s crazy people's thoughts. That would be girlfriend material, and I don’t do girlfriends anymore.
Kiley is my employee, and I have to keep reminding myself to stay professional.
I slipped up at the game she came to last week.
Seeing her in my jersey turned me into some possessive caveman that I had no business being.
I don’t know what I was thinking checking her out in front of Killian like that.
I’ve barely heard from him since that game, and my mind is racing with thoughts as to why.
“You’re right,” I tell my daughter and sit down on the throw pillow I just fixed. “Want to watch a movie with me?”
“Aren’t you leaving as soon as Kiley arrives?”
“Yes, but we can watch something until she gets here.” I pat the space next to me. “Sit down with your old man and pick a show.”
She’s still giving me a funny look, but she comes over and plops down.
I hand her the remote to choose what we’re going to watch, and she picks a reality show about moms who are part of a dance studio for their kids and the drama that occurs between them and the owner.
“This is what you want to watch?” I question because I think I might stab my eyeballs out if I have to sit here and watch this garbage.
“Yeah, why?”
“Just confirming. Have you watched this before?”
“Yes, Mom and I watch it all the time back home.”
“Oh,” I murmur, feeling guilty that she isn’t watching this with Gretchen. “Can you catch me up quickly on all the drama?”
Chloe gives me the cliff notes version on the background of the characters, and after watching five minutes of it, I’m sucked into the nonsense.
When there’s a knock on my door, I’m shocked to see that forty minutes have flown by.
Chloe gets up and races to answer it. “Saved by the knock,” I mutter under my breath.
I grab the remote and turn the television off.
I stand up just as Zander comes into view. “Jax!” he yells and runs at me for a hug. I love that he lets me pick him up and hold him. It’s becoming part of our routine whenever we see each other, and I have to admit; this little guy is starting to steal pieces of my heart.
“How’s your day been, bud?” I ask when he leans back against my arms.
“Good.” He plays with my suit jacket. “You look fancy.”
I laugh at his observation. “Does that mean you like it?”
He nods and we both look over when we see Kiley and Chloe walking to us.
I swallow down the words I want to tell her, which are that she looks beautiful.
She’s wearing a black turtleneck that molds to her breasts perfectly, tight denim jeans and black boots.
Her hair is loose in waves down her shoulders and back, and she’s wearing make-up that enhances her natural beauty.
She’s hot, and the urge to walk over and kiss her until she’s begging for more is so strong that I squeeze Zander a little tighter.
Professional thoughts, Jax.
“Hey Kiley,” I greet as I put Zander down. “Do you need any help with that?” I motion to the large tote bag she is carrying.
I see something flicker in her gaze, and she hesitates when answering me.
“Oh, no thanks. It looks heavier than it is.” She walks over to the dining room table and pulls hers and Zander’s jerseys out of the bag and rests them on the table.
“I brought over some of our clothes and toiletries, if that’s okay? ”
“Absolutely. I cleaned out the room and bathroom after my parents left, so it’s all yours. Here, let me show you where you can put everything.”
She follows me into the guest bedroom, and I open the closet to show her that it’s a custom unit with drawers built in. “The drawers are empty, so feel free to use them all. Let me know if you need more hangers.”
“Thanks,” she responds. I move out of the way and let her start putting things away.
I stand by the door in case she has any questions, but when she pulls one of her bras from her bag, she stops and slowly looks at me over her shoulder.
I straighten and turn on my heel to give her some privacy, but fantasies of her in that black silky bra start conjuring in my mind.
I squeeze my eyes shut to get rid of the image. Don’t be a creeper, Jax!
“Zander, look what’s set up for you,” I hear Chloe tell him as I come back into the living room. I watch him run over to the hockey net.
“Will you play with me?” he asks her, and she grabs the two hockey sticks and gives one to him. They take turns shooting the puck into the net, and my heart warms at the sight of it. I’m proud of how Chloe has been handling Zander so far.
I stiffen when I hear Kiley walk up and stand next to me.
I get a whiff of her floral perfume and it takes every effort to keep my boner from tenting in my pants.
Why do I feel like a horny teenager around her all the time?
I take a deep breath and dare a glance at her to see she’s watching the kids with a whimsical smile on her face.
I clear my throat to gain her attention.
“I printed out my schedule for this week so you’ll know what time to be here.
” I turn and walk to the kitchen island where some papers are.
Since school doesn’t start back up until next Monday, and the team has home games the majority of this week, I need Kiley here every day to watch Chloe.
I grab the top sheet and hand it to her when she joins me at the island. “I have to be at the rink by nine a.m. every morning. If you don’t think you can make it by then, it’s okay if Chloe is home by herself for a little while.”
She looks over my schedule before responding. “That shouldn’t be a problem. We can make sure we’re here by 8:30. Zander doesn’t know the meaning of sleeping in any way.”
I chuckle because I remember Chloe being the same way at that age. “Perfect, and please remember that you’re always welcome to sleep here, even when we have home games.”
She bites her lip, and my eyes can’t help but zero in on it. She lets go, and I force myself to look back into her eyes. “Yeah, we might take you up on that offer. We’ll see how Zander does this week, but when school starts back up, I’ll need to keep him on his strict schedule.”
“I completely understand, and it’s not a problem; the room is yours for whenever you need it.”
“Thanks,” she says, and I’m momentarily caught off guard by her knockout smile.
Our gazes lock, and the reflection in her eyes mirrors what I’m feeling for her—yearning.
She takes a shaky breath before looking back down at the schedule.
She frowns before looking at her watch. “Don’t you need to be leaving? ”
I glance at the clock on the microwave to see I’m now running five minutes late. “Shit, yes, I need to go.” I race to the table by the door to grab my keys and cell phone. “Chlo, I love you,” I tell her, and then look at Kiley. “See you in a couple of hours. Thank you again.”
I don’t wait for her response as I yank open the door and sprint down to the elevators.
“Do you have ants in your pants or something?”
I stop pacing and look at Nolan, whose locker is to the right of mine. “What kind of dumb-ass question is that?”
“You won’t stop fucking moving and you keep looking at your cell phone every two minutes. What gives?”
Kiley hasn’t texted me yet with confirmation that she and the kids have arrived, and it makes me nervous.
We have pre-game warm-ups in five minutes, and I was expecting her to be here by now.
“Just waiting on Kiley to let me know she’s arrived, and she hasn’t.
This is her first game by herself with the kids, so I hope everything’s okay. ”
“That’s so sweet that you’re so worried about her,” Nolan teases, and I’m just about to whack him with my hockey stick when I hear the ding of a text message from my cell phone.
Chloe: We are here!
“They arrived?” he asks and I nod while putting away my cell phone. “Thank fuck, now you can calm your tits,” he comments, and with that, I do whack him in the shins.
“She’s got my kid, asshole. Of course I’m going to be worried about them.” I hear him howl behind me as I pass by to leave for the tunnel. I know most of his reaction was all for show since I didn’t even hit him hard enough.